TORY MP Tim Yeo announced he is to stand down today as chairman of an influential Commons committee while he faces investigation into claims that he used his position to help business clients.

The former minister said he would be advising members on the Energy and Climate Change Committee that he should temporarily stand aside while the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner carried out his inquiry.

He said in a statement that he was stepping down to ensure the “smooth running” of the committee, and insisted that he had not breached Commons rules when he spoke to undercover reporters from The Sunday Times.

Victims may pre-record evidence

YOUNG and vulnerable victims of horrific crimes are to be offered the chance to pre-record evidence for criminal trials in a bid to protect them from the trauma of appearing in court.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said the new approach will be tested in Leeds, Liverpool and Kingston-upon-Thames with the intention of rolling it out across the country if it is successful.

The move, which has been welcomed by England and Wales’ most senior judge as well as charities, would aim to avoid cases such as the death of violin teacher Frances Andrade, who killed herself after being cross- examined at Manchester Crown Court.

Police move into Istanbul square

Hundreds of police have begun moving past barricades in Istanbul’s central Taksim Square, which protesters have been occupying for more than a week.

The police, clad in riot gear, pushed easily past the barricades, and many of the protesters were pushed into a nearby park.

Police briefly fired tear gas canisters and rubber bullets prompting many of the protesters to flee the square into Gezi Park, where many had been camping.

Breast screening: ‘No deaths drop’

Breast cancer screening programmes have yet to show a reduction in the number of women who die from the disease, researchers said.

A new study suggests that there is “no evidence” that screening women for breast cancer has an effect on mortality.

There has been fierce debate about the value of such screening programmes.

GCSE reforms to be announced

DETAILS of the most radical overhaul of GCSEs in England for a generation will be announced today, including plans to scrap the current grading system.

Exams regulator Ofqual will publish a consultation setting out proposals for GCSE reform, likely to include plans to axe coursework in the majority of subjects, introduce end of course exams, curtail re-sits and overhaul the grading system. This could mean scrapping current A*-G grades and replacing them with a numbered system.

The Department for Education is also expected to unveil new information on the content of the exams today.

North-South death divide ‘shocking’

People living in the North of England have a greater risk of dying early than those in the South, according to a national league table of premature death rates published today.

The Longer Lives website from Public Health England ranks local authorities using a traffic light system, ranging from red for the worst areas to green for the best.

There is a clear North/South divide in the statistics, which show the number of people under the age of 75 who died over a two-year period, with Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt describing it as a “shocking variation”.

Mandela still in serious condition

NELSON Mandela remains in a serious but stable condition in a Pretoria hospital with a recurring lung infection, as a foundation led by retired archbishop Desmond Tutu described the 94-year-old anti-apartheid hero as an “extraordinary gift” to South Africa.

As family members visited South Africa’s first black president, the government announced – in only the second communication on Mr Mandela since he was taken to hospital on Saturday – that his condition was “unchanged”.

A statement issued for the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation described Mr Mandela as “the beloved father of our nation” and offered prayers for a man seen by many around the world as a symbol of reconciliation because of his peacemaking role when white racist rule ended in South Africa.

Builders lobby MPs over site danger

CONSTRUCTION workers will lobby MPs today, warning they are being placed in danger by “persistent” attacks on safety rules.

Members of the Unite and Ucatt unions will also stage a protest in Westminster to highlight spending cuts on health and safety, and measures which they claim have made it more difficult for injured workers to claim compensation.

Steve Murphy, general secretary of Ucatt, said: “The Government’s policies are increasing workplace dangers. This will lead to a rise in deaths and injuries. MPs need to listen to construction workers and ensure that the attacks on safety provisions are not only stopped but reversed.”

Sony chief executive Andrew House gave the audience the first glimpse of the PS4 at the E3 electronic entertainment trade show in Los Angeles, hailing it as a console of “unparalleled power”.

It came hours after Microsoft revealed that its new XBox One games console will set gamers back £429 when it launches in November.

Snowden ‘faces long legal fight’

THE American defence contractor who says he leaked information on classified US surveillance programmes could benefit from a quirk in Hong Kong law that would ensure a lengthy battle to deport him.

Edward Snowden’s whereabouts were not immediately known today, although he was believed to be staying somewhere in the Chinese autonomous region that has a well-established, Western-style legal system inherited from its status as a former British colony.

The journalist who brought his revelations to the public, Glenn Greenwald of The Guardian, said he had been in touch with Mr Snowden, but declined to say whether he was still in Hong Kong and said he did not know what his future plans were.